China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) has kidnapped an Indian teenager from inside the Indian territory in Arunachal Pradesh's Upper Siang district, state MP Tapir Gao said on Wednesday. The teenager, identified as Miram Taron, 17, was kidnapped by the PLA from the Lungta Jor area on Tuesday, Gao said.

Taron's friend Johny Yaiying, who managed to escape, informed the authorities about the kidnapping by the PLA, Gao told news agency PTI over the phone from Ziro, the district headquarters of Lower Subansiri district. Both are local hunters from the Zido village bordering what China claims is its territory.

The incident took place near where the Tsangpo River enters India in Arunachal Pradesh, the MP said. The Tsangpo River is known as Siang in Arunachal Pradesh and the Brahmaputra in Assam.

Earlier, Gao had tweeted: "Chinese #PLA has abducted Sh Miram Taron, 17 years of Zido vill. yesterday 18th Jan 2022 from inside Indian territory, Lungta Jor area (China built a 3-4 kms road inside India in 2018) under Siyungla area (Bishing village) of Upper Siang dist, Arunachal Pradesh".

"His friend escaped from PLA and reported to the authorities.

"All the agencies of Govt of India are requested to step up for his early release," he said in another tweet and posted pictures of the kidnapped boy.

The MP also tagged Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and the Indian Army in his tweets.

In September 2020, the PLA had kidnapped five boys from Arunachal Pradesh's Upper Subansiri district and released them after about a week. China claims the state of Arunachal Pradesh as its territory and calls it Zangnan or "South Tibet". It recently renamed - Beijing said it had 'standardised' the names - 15 villages in  territory it disputes to claim sovereignty over them, a move rejected by India.  

The latest incident comes at a time when the Indian Army continues to be engaged in a massive military standoff with the PLA in eastern Ladakh since April 2020.